Old wooden toilet doors have a new role as display boards for collections of taps.

The plumbers delight in comments in their visitors’ book saying the museum is “a shit place” or something similar.

But while they can laugh about their work, they said it was clear advances in sanitation had provided big improvements in quality of life.

The improvements have applied to the tasks required of plumbers as well as for the people who benefit from plumbers’ services.

Mr Van Rooy said plumbing was a lot safer occupation now than when he started in the trade in 1964.

The shift from metal and ceramic components to plastic had reduced some of the hard yakka.

“We are not breathing lead and we now have scaffolding on roofs to prevent falls,” Mr Van Rooy said.

“I used to use lead topped nails on roofs because they sealed well.

“Now you cannot have any lead on a roof,” he said.

Mr O’Shannessy said the safety training he receiving for working on roofs when he started in the trade was “Do not fall.”

The museum also pays tribute to some of the plumbers’ hand skills such as soldering that were used in earlier technology.

But it also highlights the complexity of some of the new technology such as modern flushing toilets.

“Before a flushing toilet was so simple,” Mr Van Rooy said.

But even with all the technology, he said meeting his customers was one of the best parts of his job.

The opportunity to meet people was why he enjoys doing maintenance plumbing rather than construction.

Mr Van Rooy said while plumbing sometimes involved getting into unsanitary situations, plumbers were usually able to keep “out of the shit.”

Mr O’Shannessy said a lot of thinking was sometimes needed to solve some problems and attention to detail was vital.

“Something small, if missing, can cause a major health issue,” he said.

“It’s crucial to get everything right with gas,” Mr Van Rooy said.

The two opened the museum last year and they are getting many items donated by the public, filling not only the museum but also another shed in Warrnambool.

“It’s grown like Topsy,” Mr Van Rooy said.

Some donations are left outside the museum and the two sometimes rely upon visitors to tell them what the items were used for.

The museum is open on the third Sunday of each month, along with many of the other collections at the South Western District Restoration Group centre at the corner of Grayland and Hallyburtons Rds, Cobden.

The centre will also be open for its annual rally which this year will be held on March 11-12.